Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış had a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on the sidelines of a meeting held by the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Bodrum town in southwestern province of Muğla on Friday.

Bağış told reporters that Bildt always extended a great support to Turkey’s EU accession process, stating that they had a fruitful meeting.

Prior to his meeting with Bildt, Bağış told a television channel that Turkey did not open chapter in its negotiations with the EU deliberately in the past one year.

“They left to us only three chapters to be opened. They put political obstacles in front of the other chapters. We think that these three chapters will bring burden to Turkish economy and that’s why we did not open them,” he said.

As I formerly wrote the EU behaves like a carpet dealer. And that EU wants to be a world actor!

Speaking after a meeting with main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu which was closed to press, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt yesterday said that he was very pleased to be in Ankara, where he held contacts in line with Britain’s willingness to develop dialogue both with the government and other political circles.

Bildt said that as part of his meetings, the reform process in Turkey and opportunities of further improving Turkey’s EU membership process were discussed.

When reminded by a reporter that it was previously reported that certain EU member countries which are defined as Friends of Turkey have met in Brussels to work on a new action plan on Turkey and that he has brought the plan to Ankara, Bildt said that EU member countries often meet in Brussels and usually exerted efforts so that certain problems and difficulties are resolved.

Bildt added that consultations were held both by EU member countries and between Turkey and the EU with regard to current problems and that they were working on different headings in order to accelerate the process in a positive way.

The European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights yesterday discussed the progress report on Turkey which was released by the European Commission last week.

Speaking at the session, Human Watch Turkey expert Emma Sinclair-Webb said that many EU member countries assumed a hostile attitude against Turkey’s membership, undermined the reform efforts in Turkey and weakened their strength to influence Turkey. This situation doesn’t help the reforms in the field of human rights in Turkey.

Many EU member countries make a dynamic anti-Turkey propaganda (European Parliament Olympic Games!!), but they (and the EU) don’t influence Turkey. Because Turkey is improving its democracy because it has to do so, not because the EU “wants” that. For its people, not for the EU. Several Turkish ministers underlined that.

Speaking in her part, EU Commission Director of Candidate Countries Alexandra Cas Granje said that Turkey has taken a great many positive steps with regard to fundamental rights, including judicial independence, since its constitutional package was voted by public on September 12, 2010.

Speaking to AA, Jan Egeland, Deputy Executive Director and Europe Director of Human Rights Watch, said that western countries had lost power globally, adding that however Turkey’s importance has grown regionally and globally.

Egeland said that there has been a great progress in the aeras of economy, trade, investment, politics and culture in Turkey.

Turkey’s responsabilities also increased in regard to improvement of Human rights, he said.

Egeland said that emerging powers such as Turkey, Brazil, South Africa and India should take more responsabilities regarding Human rights.

The lack of democracy in Turkey was linked to political instability but also to the PKK terrorism. However Turkey is politically stable for 10 years and then a virtuous circle has been created. And that virtuous circle enabled Turkey to start protecting the Human rights. But today we can’t expect Turkey to do in the blink of an eye what has not been done during decades. That’s why we have to allow some more time to Turkey. Time. Then we’ll see a much better Turkish democracy, in spite of the PKK-BDP-KCK terrorism and propaganda that are a big obstacle to stability and the improvement of democracy in Southeastern Turkey. Last example: on the one hand the PKK-BDP-KCK are currently trying to sabotage the national assistance to many victims (mostly of Kurdish origin) of the earthquake that hit the city Van a few days ago. On the other hand they are trying to make believe that there is a discrimination towards the Kurdish citizens about the assisstance of the Turkish state, which is absolutely not true. Turkey is helping every citizen, and that is actually the problem for the PKK-BDP-KCK, which are disturbed that Turkey is strongly supporting the Kurdish-rooted victims of Southeastern Turkey, especially since the PKK assassinated 24 soldiers a few days before the earthquake. Thus, Turkey’s national assistance is destroying the propaganda of the PKK-BDP-KCK because that assistance shows that Turkey is united.

All debris will be removed, and a new city and town will be built under an urban transformation project in the eastern province of Van, added Erdoğan who spoke at his Justice & Development (AK) Party meeting on Wednesday.

Erdoğan said that search and rescue teams, first aid personnel as well as necessary materials and equipment from 30 institutions and 48 provinces were transferred to quake-hit region by 52 planes.

Noting that 461 citizens were killed and 1,352 others were wounded in the earthquake, Erdoğan said that 3,755 public personnel, 422 non-governmental organization members, 595 search and rescue vehicles, 860 health teams, 140 ambulances and 54 working machines were currently serving at the scene.

Erdoğan said that Red Crescent aid society sent 15,379 tents to the region, adding that 60 prefabricated houses, 76,500 blankets, 36 portable kitchens and 5,139 heaters were distributed to the people in villages and towns of Van as well as in city center. Eight planes are continuously transferring tents, blankets and other equipments to the region, he said.

British Ambassador to Turkey David Reddaway yesterday hosted a reception to inaugurate the two-day 4th Naval Systems Seminar in Ankara. Speaking at the reception, Reddaway said he was pleased to see that there is high-level of participation by British firms into the seminar.

Stating that Britain attaches great importance to its strategic relations with Turkey, Reddaway said that the seminar was an important step aimed at developing defense and industrial relations between the two countries and that companies should be encouraged to establish long-term partnerships. He added that President Abdullah Gül would visit Britain in November before or after which an agreement is likely to be signed.

Turkish economy minister said Thursday that Turkey was the most attractive safe haven for investors, while the world has been struggling with problems.

A statement released by Zafer Cağlayan said that 256 investment incentive certificates have been prepared in September and these certificates foresaw 3.5 billion TL of investments and employments for 7,879 people.

The statement said 3,524 investment incentive certificates were prepared between January and September 2011 and these certificates foresaw 43 billion TL of investments and employments for 98,726 people.

Aka said that regional cooperation must be boosted to show geopolitical and economic importance of Black Sea Region to the world.

“Turkey fully supports BSEC as a founder state,” he said.

“We have earlier said several times that we are eager to host JTS of the highway. We consider that Istanbul is the best to host secretariat with its location and modern communication infrastructure,” he said.

On 25 June 1992, the Heads of State and Government of eleven countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

It came into existence as a unique and promising model of multilateral political and economic initiative aimed at fostering interaction and harmony among the Member States, as well as to ensure peace, stability and prosperity encouraging friendly and good-neighbourly relations in the Black Sea region.

As part of the Somalia Action Plan approved by Food, Agriculture and Stockbreeding Minister Mehdi Eker, 90 male and female Somalis would come to Turkey to be trained on such issues as stockbreeding, tractor and equipment usage, combine management and aquaculture hunting.

Besides, the equipment aid totaling approximately 4.3 million liras consisting of fishing boats and equipment, tractor, plough, computer and printers will be provided.

In addition, the Meat and Fish Authority (EBK) will sacrifice 3,000 small cattle and send them to Somali during the Sacrifice Festival, in case requested by Turkish people.

The Soil Products Office will also deliver nearly 35,000 tons of flour to Somali in packages of 25 kg.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Vice President Kiyoshi Higuchi said he would contribute to the space institution which Turkey was planning to set up as well as share his and his country’s experiences in space sector.

Higuchi told AA on Tuesday that JAXA contacted Turkish officials regarding the establishment of a space institution in Turkey, and they would cooperate with Turkey.

Higuchi said that opening a space institution, which would regulate Turkey’s space activities, was important.

Noting that space studies were still very risky, Higuchi said that Turkey did not have a space shuttle launch system, adding that it would be Turkish government to decide whether to have it or not.

Higuchi said that if Turkey demanded, Japan could help in this issue.

Higuchi gave a conference in Rixos Hotel in Ankara. He will give another conference in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Turkey signed an agreement with Azerbaijan yesterday to supply natural gas to the much-discussed Nabucco pipeline project, which will transport Caspian gas across Turkey to Eastern European.

The Şahdeniz II agreement was signed between the energy ministers of both countries in Izmir with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azeri President İlham Aliyev during their first High Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting.

“The details of the agreement will be revised by our energy ministers,” Erdoğan told reporters at the press conference, but said he was expecting the completion of the pipeline’s construction between Turkey and Azerbaijan next year.

Turkey will buy 6 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan and will help with the transfer of another 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe via the Nabucco pipeline, according to information obtained by the Hürriyet Daily News.

The first council meeting between Turkey and Azerbaijan focused on economic issues, but the two regional allies also signed agreements on communications, encouraging investments, police force education and family and social policy.

The agreement would make Azerbaijan one of the most important gas suppliers to the European continent, Aliyev said while hailing bilateral cooperation with Turkey.

Turkey’s southern province of Antalya hosted nearly 10 million tourists since the beginning of 2011.

According to Antalya Culture & Tourism Dierctorate, the number of tourists, who visited Antalya, increased 12 percent to 9.9 million between January 1 and October 17, 2011 when compared to the same period of 2010 – when Antalya hosted 8.8 million tourists.

This blog is about the relations between Turkey and the EU. I explain how much some notorious French TV channels and other media are biased regarding Turkey. This blog is an antidote for the perpetual anti-Turkey brainwashing of numerous dark circles with